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When you look at the society
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where we live in
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you realize that they naturally force you
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- I mean the System forces you -
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to work, to pay the rent..
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In order to pay the rent you have to work...
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and to pay the taxes.
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And when you come with alternative way how to live
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then it is something unacceptable
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and they are even able to imprison you for it.
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§249A of the Czech law code
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article 1 and 2
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Illegal interference into the right of flat,
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house or non-residential space:
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1. Who illegally occupies or uses house, flat or on-residential space
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would be imprisoned for up two years or fined
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2. One who inhibits legitimate person from using house,
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flat or non-residential space
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would receives the same punishment
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Squatting is very subversive in itself
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because it questions one of the base saintship of capitalism
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which is the right for privat ownership.
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It questions the right to own something
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and gives priority to the right to use it,
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so squating is anti-capitalistic in it’s very nature.
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Squating means occupying and using of
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long-term empty houses without the permision
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from their owners. Occupied places
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are usually not being used just for living
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but also for wider social, cultural and political activities.
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The aim of all collectives that squatted in Prague
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was a creation of alternative social-culture center
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that would give space for
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non-commercial activities.
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In a city full of clubs and bars
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the large part of (not only) youth is missing
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the space for self-realization
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free of dictatorship of money, advertisement and sponsorship.
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In the same time it is more and more difficult
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to find affordable place for living.
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On the other hand there is a lot of houses
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that are empty for years
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slowly becoming ruins.
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Some of them because they are just subject of speculation
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some are letting to break intentionally
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as their owner wants to destroy for example
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listed building and build officies of luxury hotel instead.
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Since the beggining of 90’ more than a dozen
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houses were occupied like this in Prague.
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The last remaining squat in Prague was evicted
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at June, 30 2009.
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Let’s have a look at the history of a few of them...
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I moved in after we were evicted from the Zenklovka.
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It was in January.
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We than moved to the Ladronka
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where we realized that it is not the biggest place
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and that it is not big enough for all of us
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and that we want to continue squatting.
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So we were looking for a new house
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all around Prague
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and we found Milada.
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We occupied it on MayDay 1998.
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I lived over there, where you see window bay
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under the balcony...
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That room with nice windows..
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Blue windows, yes...
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I lived one floor above...
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I had the only room with balcony...
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...I had storey there and stuff...
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...it was nice room...
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We were evicted from Zenklovka in the end of January
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and since that we were looking for a new house
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all around Prague.
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We were thinking about pros and cons
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FOOTBALL MATCH AT MILADA, 1998
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This house was interesting for us
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but was in a bad condition
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We decided not to take it
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when we saw it for the first time.
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It changed when we learned
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that it is not listed in real estate registry.
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We were looking for a house
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where we could stay for a longer time period.
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So it meant house with a building ban
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or other kind of law problem.
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And the one that belongs to state or a city
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as we didn’t want to squat private owned house again.
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That’s a woodhouse, isn’t it?
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What?
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That’s a woodhouse, right?
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It was in a better condition back in our times.
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But when you see those posters or that sign
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it is clear that is has some history
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and something was going on there
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Even though that this reminds me
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my attempt to run an infoshop
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when I was always sitting there alone for two hours
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drinking coffee and nobody had ever come.
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Right.. But it is a piece of life...
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...a piece of history.
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It is difficult to show anything to you
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when it is in this condition...
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But I remember doing loads of wood
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on that staircases...
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And they have been destroyed by it...
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You think they have been destroyed by it?
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Winters were really tough overhere...
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but it was really good in that sence
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that while in summer we were scattered
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all around the Europe or wherever, nevermind.
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But in winter we came back to the house
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and as we burnt in stove
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it had magnificent atmosphere.
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People were gathering in rooms together
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chatting and drinking...
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Winter was really great because of that...
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But every morning there was cold again, anyway...
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While I’ve been there
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dozens of gigs took place
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also some exhibitions, lectures, workshops
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when we talk about culture.
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In the same time some gatherings were taking place
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for example before the first major neo-nazis demo in 1999
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that was their first attempt to go back into the streets in years
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there was a discussion of about 50 people
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about how to face it up.
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Milada had been open
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but I don’t now if it was open even to the general public.
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When I was there actions were aimed
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mainly to subcultures - punk, grind, tekkno and so on.
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No open actions for general public took place
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such as author's reading or exhibition.
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Also there wasn’t working community
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nor the functional collective.
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Or at least that’s how I see it.
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In those two years we were there
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we did around 200 public actions.
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In the beggining there were mainly punk and hc gigs
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then we started to do tekkno parties during the winter
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and since the last autumn we started
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to trying to do it more variously
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MILADA EVICTION ATTEMPT, 1998
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we tried to cut themselves off the subculture roots
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and to do a program that could reach farer,
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program opened to wider spectrum of people
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than it was in the beggining.
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Various thematic parties took place,
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screenings, workshops, theater plays etc.
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When I saw shots from the eviction
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I was really surprised.
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I also saw the TV program about 1998 eviction attemp
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and realised the big difference in intensity
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and brutality of the action.
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EVICTION OF MILADA, 2009
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The only thing that is comparable
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is destruction of the house and of our personal property.
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That went in the same intensity.
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Whatever they could destroyed they destroyed.
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When we managed to defend the house
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we stood in emergency state
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as we thought they’d try it again.
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So we tighted rope into that window overthere
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and in order to get into the house you had to climbed.
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It was like that for about two weeks...
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...so every time I went home I climbed...
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INSIDE THE EVICTED MILADA
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We made this barricade overnight
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when we heard the rumour we are going to be evicted
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next day. It was last autumn.
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We’d had an iron prepared and then
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we just fulfilled it with concrete.
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And then we welded it together with hinges.
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Finally it was of no use
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as they put ladder on balcony
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and went inside through window in this room...
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MILADA IS STILL EMPTY AND FALLING INTO DISREPAIR
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TILL TODAY
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It all started back in 1997...
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...is that right? I’m not sure actually...
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We were young, going to Ladronka -
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- one of the squat I always sympathized with
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and still consider it to be the best and best organised
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squat in Prague till today.
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And various people were meeting there,
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people from scene and symhathizers of squating
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and the topic of the future of squating rised up there.
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The question whether a new house would be occupied.
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There was a bunch of people that wanted
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to solve their housing problem by this way
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or wanted to live in a squat because they want to try
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community living.
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So a working group was composed
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and started to search for a house.
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Whole list of building suitable for this was made.
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Two of that were picked up later
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as the best suitable for occupation
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because of law reasons and it’s condition
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as well as locality.
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We occupied Zenklovka.
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It hadn’t last for long, unfortunatelly.
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However it was genius project
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And I could sincerely say
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I spent the best time of my life there.
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Zenklovka was the first squat I moved in.
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It was in 1997.
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We occupied it in August
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in about 12 people.
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Our aim was to build a tea-room downstairs
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and a space for exhibitions.
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And we wanted to make a space for living upstairs.
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The house had a private owner.
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We tried to do an agreement with him for a while
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To no avail, but it was probably mainly our mistake.
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However we did the basic repair work in first 14 days
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it means we cleaned all the mess in rooms and stairs...
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...clay from backyard etc.
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Basically we did this basic stuff.
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There was no electricity and water in the house.
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We were bringing water from hydrant across the road
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and were using candles.
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After 14 days Mr. Suchanek came to the house
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in the morning of some working day.
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He had been visited by police before
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probably by anti-extremist department
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and I think that as usual they told him
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that junkies occupied his house.
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He and police made pressure on us
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in order to make us leave the house.
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They made an ultimatum
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that we should leave the house till eight o’clock
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otherwise we would be evicted by police.
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What was great was support from people from Ladronka
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who helped us to defend Zenklovka by advice as well as
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by physicall support.
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Because Mr. Suchanek really came back with police
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and tried to kick us off the house.
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We made barricade on stairs and went to the roof.
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Part of the people ran away on roofs
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part was catched and part stayed on the roof.
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It was 14 days after the occupation
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when we were evicted.
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In about two days we re-occupied it.
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Thanks to the personal experience with Mr. Suchanek
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we probably proved to him that we are not junkies
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and that it is possible to make an agreement with us,
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set some time period and let us use the house for it.
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So we agreed we could live here till the end of January 97.
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There was a tea-room already in operation
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people could come and learn about us
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as we had some literature, magazines and books.
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Also discussions and lectures took place.
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We only did a few cultural actions here,
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one accoustic gig in backyard,
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ran a tea-room.
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Few lectures took place, one about underground and literature...
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...Mr. Vodrazka had a lecture about chaos...
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After the eviction of Zenklovka there was plan B
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and that was the second best house suitable for occupation.
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And that was Milada.
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A lot of people from Zenklovka moved there.
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The idea of occupation was rising up during 1992
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when there was a need among Prague’s anarchist
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to have a place for meeting up, doing gigs...
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In general to have a space for our political and cultural activities.
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The only sympathizing place was 007 club
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but that was limited and not suitable for meetings, duscussions, screenings etc.
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So in the second half of 92’ the idea rised up
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and we started to search for the place.
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The first attempt took place in March 1992
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when the empty house in Plzenska street was occupied.
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It was a short-term one, it lasted just for a few weeks...
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We were three people living there.
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ONE OF THE FIRST ARTICLES ABOUT LADRONKA IN PRESS
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It somehow disapeared, we were kicked out by police...
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But the need of autonomous space as a background for our activities
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was still present
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so we were searching another houses.
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Two were picked up.
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PICTURES FROM LADRONKA
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One of them was Ladronka, the second was house at Krejcarek
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So we were considering it, learning about ownership etc.
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Finally we unanimously choosed Ladronka.
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We all liked the house when we were there for the first time...
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...it was empty, opened, really nice house in nice environment...
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...in addition it belonged to the city-council that didn’t care about it
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which was another point for us.
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During the summer preparations took place...
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...discussion about who is going to live there...
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...searching for neccesary stuff and background...
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And in September 93’ it was occupied.
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In the beggining 8-10 people lived there.
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Already in September first preparation work started
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regarding living condition as well as a hall
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as we wanted to open the place as soon as possible
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so we could do the activities there that were the reason of occupation.
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So the aim was to occupy it in order to get the space for our activities.
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Living was secondary thing.
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We took Ladronka as autonomous cultural space from the very beggining,
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since the time we did first projects, intensions, studies...
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We had a Ladronka foundation back then, but we had to liquidate it later.
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Total mix of actions took place there
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the core were gigs, but also exhibitions, festivals...
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VIDEO FROM LADRONKA
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...tea-room, screenings, info-shop...
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Spectrum of activities was really wide
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including artist's workshop for a while...
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A few hundred actions we'd did there left it's mark in Prague cultural scene
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and more, as Ladronka was known and popular internationally as well
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thanks to all solidarity demos taking place at embassies abroad as well
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the reach of this culture was wider then just Ladronka, Prague.
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Majority of program was composed of gigs
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but also exhibitions, occasional lectures, screenings...
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...volkskuche, i.e. cooking for people...
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It served as a place for meetings of different political groups
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mainly anarchist's...
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Ladronka operated very well in the begining.
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I don't want to specify the period, but the begining was great
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as it really served as a center where people were meeting each other
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and it also managed to got some kind of...
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...not a prestige, but rather...
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a reputation that the squat got for outside as well.
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In 95' when they wanted to evict us
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DEMO AGAINST EVICTION OF LADRONKA, 1995
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we managed to avoid the eviction
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by a campaign and got the name, or rather...
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...that we were taken as a power that you have to count in.
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There was a lot of solidarity actions with Ladronka
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I can't even remember
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from demos when we for example dropped a mega banner
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from the Oldtown tower at the moment when a big demo was coming.
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Part of it were not only gigs in a number of other clubs
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but I remember that Svihadlo [famous local raggae band]
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00:22:00,162 --> 00:22:03,721
- and now I'm not sure if it was in 95' -
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did a music video about Ladronka
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so that was also part of solidarity actions
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00:22:11,671 --> 00:22:14,836
also series of solidarity demos at Czech embassies abroad - in Warsaw, New York..
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In the end Ladronka lived only from myth it got in first half of 90'.
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Maybe also because it separated itself of the protests
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against International Monetary Fund and World Bank...
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00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:31,743
[taking place in September 2000]
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00:22:32,155 --> 00:22:34,813
We could argue, maybe it would got evicted anyway
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but maybe it just showed that it's not part of the movement
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and that nobody would stand up for it.
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AND THIS IS LADRONKA TODAY...
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Which was manifested later
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One or two demos took place, but the rage like the one
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00:22:51,799 --> 00:22:57,869
in Copenhagen when the Ungdomshuset was evicted was missing...
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00:22:59,076 --> 00:23:03,164
Eviction of Ladronka was controversial in my opinion.
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I'm saying that because it was evicted in 2000
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and it was a little revenge for anti-IMF and WB protests.
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Politicians decided to use a media environment
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and surfed this wave...
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Come downstairs...
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Be so nice...
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00:23:46,995 --> 00:23:50,711
We are here, number 1935...
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00:23:51,446 --> 00:23:54,322
We need a state police here...
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They are playing the squaters...
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The owner is unknown to me...
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But it is marked as for sale...
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00:24:04,929 --> 00:24:08,867
The most important was that we ever decided
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that we meet up and went for it
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00:24:14,706 --> 00:24:19,351
and also after the eviction we were able to continue
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00:24:21,025 --> 00:24:25,899
and that we take it as pushing the limits and trying something new.
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00:24:35,311 --> 00:24:37,260
BUDANKY LOCALITY
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00:24:41,220 --> 00:24:44,088
OCCUPIED IN 1991
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EVICTED IN 1992
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00:24:50,896 --> 00:24:53,032
FALLING INTO DESPAIR TILL TODAY
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00:24:55,403 --> 00:24:57,668
OWNER: CITY-COUNCIL OF PRAGUE 5
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00:24:59,513 --> 00:25:01,684
CIBULKA FARM
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00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,000
REPEATEDLY OCCUPIED FOR A SHORT-TIME PERIOD
371
00:25:08,062 --> 00:25:10,262
AND REPEATEDLY EVICTED BY POLICE
372
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,660
FALLING INTO DESPAIR TILL TODAY
373
00:25:16,755 --> 00:25:18,746
FARMHOUSE SAFRANKA
374
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,033
OCCUPIED IN SUMMER 2002 FOR A SHORT-TIME PERIOD
375
00:25:25,971 --> 00:25:28,188
EVICTED BY MUNICIPAL POLICE
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00:25:29,661 --> 00:25:31,383
TODAY: LUXURY RESIDENTAL COMPLEX
377
00:25:33,809 --> 00:25:35,743
OWNER BACK THEN: PRAGUE CITY-COUNCIL
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00:25:38,157 --> 00:25:39,804
FORMER SPA AT ALBERTOV
379
00:25:42,105 --> 00:25:44,466
OCCUPIED FOR A SHORT-TIME PERIOD IN SEPTEMBER 2009
380
00:25:46,236 --> 00:25:47,849
IMMEDIATELY EVICTED BY POLICE
381
00:25:49,769 --> 00:25:52,759
FALLING INTO DESPAIR TILL TODAY
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00:26:06,341 --> 00:26:08,511
UNUSED BUILDING IN THE LONG-TERM
383
00:26:20,045 --> 00:26:21,607
RAILWAY STATION VYSEHRAD
384
00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:26,536
UNUSED BUILDING IN THE LONG-TERM
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00:26:39,061 --> 00:26:40,926
BLOCK OF FLATS, MOZARTOVA STREET 2 AND 4
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00:26:42,986 --> 00:26:45,773
UNUSED BUILDING IN THE LONG-TERM
387
00:26:52,803 --> 00:26:55,170
Ghosts here. Are you afraid?
388
00:26:55,526 --> 00:26:56,954
Don't be. You could be the ghost here!
389
00:26:57,830 --> 00:27:01,237
Wanna me?
390
00:27:02,389 --> 00:27:05,433
Fight is not over...
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00:27:11,350 --> 00:27:13,935
This movie was created on DIY principle
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without any sponsorship or grants.
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00:27:17,096 --> 00:27:19,539
All people worked on it voluntarily, i.e. for free.
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00:27:19,876 --> 00:27:22,151
Movie is distributed under Creative commons licence
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00:27:22,292 --> 00:27:24,605
that allows free distributions and screenings
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00:27:24,829 --> 00:27:27,097
but prohibits using for commercial purposes.
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00:27:27,864 --> 00:27:30,883
Informations and art should be free.
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00:27:43,510 --> 00:27:46,024
Any use of this movie is prohibited for Ministry of Interior
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00:27:46,352 --> 00:27:48,640
as well as Intelligence services.